Spy

“Spy,” you ask. “Isn't he on the Red team?”

“The Spy is a very valuable asset, Miss Yellow,” the Administrator says. “In fact, he's the most integral person we have on either team simply because he will at any moment work for either team. He is our wild card, and without him giving his A-Game, we loose whatever control a free agent like that could give us.”

“I understand,” you say as you look over the documents. The accomplishments of his life are laid out in your hands. You see a picture of him with Sean Connery, a small blade in the hand he hangs above the actor's neck. Another has him with Saddam Hussein, the same pose with the same knife. In the last, he is standing beside a woman in a white gown. She glows with love and gazes up at him with pride, completely unaware of the butterfly knife at her back. “Backstabbing enthusiast?” you ask no one.

“He is good at what he does,” comes her remark, just as detached from the conversation.

"Master of Misdirection, Master of Infiltration, Master of Interrogation, Master of ****, Master of Desentrification, Master of Bladed Penetration..." you read.

"He's a sadist. He has the unbeatable ability to disappear entirely, which grows only stronger as he gets more and more surrounded by hostile enemies."

"And what is it that ails his performance? He doesn't seem to be affected in the least by a lack of confidence."

Her response was sharp, "Don't be stupid. The Spy is growing less and less easy to manipulate. He will always listen to money, but his allegiance, which was once always on the market, is now slipping to one side. When he is purchased for the Blu Team, he only does the barest performance. We feel this has to do with his ongoing feud with the Sniper of the Blu Team. He always works with the Red Team's interest in mind and is eager to be switched again."

"A feud," you remark. "That sounds trite."

"Quite. It was interesting for a month, but then we all grew sick of it. Even the Sniper doesn't care anymore. But the Spy is impossible to change. That's where you come in."

You smile with a bit more feeling. "Are you asking me to destroy him?"

The Administrator stopped breathing. The ashes from her cigarette fell in the interim as she stares through you. "Of course not. We still need him, we just need him to remember who he works for. Just make him sorry."

"I can do that. Of course," You lead her. "You realize that with an exceptional case such as him, I would have to employ devastating skills? You must realize that there is some sort of gamble."

"If you kill him, we will be keeping half of your payment," the Administrator toned. You hope isn't fading visibly. It would be hard to be effective with such a restriction on your talents. "But use your own judgment. The spy is a traitorous fiend and deserves whatever is coming to him."

Now you fear your smile may be widening. More than a few ideas come into your mind. Despite your appearance of professionalism, this challenge of dealing with such a twisted soul intrigues you.

"Try to keep him alive," she reiterates louder. It was clear that she is getting impatient with the briefing. "Do you have any more questions?"

You hold the picture of the spy higher and leered at it. "None at all." After you settle into the dorms, you plan to seek out your target and begin the game. As the Administrator walks away, you eye the rest of the envelopes. You can always get to them later...if you have time. For now, you decide to start with the sadist. You tremble in anticipation, hungry to see him humbled at your feet.

As you walk down the stairway confidently, you realize that you can use the heat of the desert to add to your allure. You step off of the landing pad and notice the young secretary running about in the distance, just as frantic as ever. She trips over an uneven split in the sidewalk as you watch and topples to a painful stop, her documents flying all over.

You hesitate for a moment. You have a job to do, but just one distraction wouldn't be bad, would it?